TIFF 09: HIPSTERS Review
Good god, the world needs more Russian musicals. This may not seem like an obvious thing to say but after witnessing Valery Todorovsky's Hipsters it is very clearly true. A brash, vibrant and unapologetically feel-good tale, Hipsters is a throw back to the days of the classic song and dance film, a film unafraid to be stylish and bold, albeit one very much rooted in the Soviet experience.
Set in 1954, with Soviet communism at the peak of its strength, Hipsters is the story of a small group of stilyagi - an actual Russian youth movement of the time in which Russian teens copied American rockabilly styles and danced to jazz music. Which may not seem like all that big a deal to Western eyes - though there were certainly a good number of American parents at the time decrying the corruption of the youth as well - but in Russia? The year after Stalin's death? Well in Russia, any "kowtowing to Western ideals" was a crime punishable by up to ten years in prison and while being stilyagi wasn't quite far enough over the line to get you busted it certainly wasn't far off.
Our main character is Mels, a twenty year old young man - a university student actively involved in local communist party activities, including the rounding up of suspected dissidents. Mels' life changes for good one night when his comrades raid an underground dance party, tracking down the various stilyagi and, though not arresting them, doing everything in the power to humiliate them - cutting their hair, their clothes, etc. That is the night that Mels first lays eyes on Polina, a beautiful young nurse, and falls immediately in love. He must have her. But the only way to get close is to become stilyagi himself ...
Shot with verve and style, Todorovsky's film is at once a celebration of individuality and a somewhat critical look at his nation's recent past - the bright colors of the stilyagi's clothing at immediate odds with the approved fashion of the time. Hipsters is a story of the individual versus the mass and there is no doubt whatsoever which side of that equation Todorovsky falls on. The entire cast - from young to old - are fantastic, the story gives the audience what it wants with just enough wrinkles to keep things interesting, and - most importantly - the musical numbers are stellar.
Not quite as music-heavy as a classic American musical would be, Hipsters nonetheless boasts one dead solid soundtrack, the musical numbers ranging from the jazz, bebop and boogie sounds you'd expect to numbers that blend in Russian folk music and one absolutely brilliant number that draws on military rhythms when Mels - now known by the more-western sounding moniker of Mel - is stripped of his communist party membership. The choreography is inventive and wonderfully shot, the style blending east with west and alternating between slick polish and more rough-and-ready pieces.
With a strong story, stronger cast, great music and a finale shamelessly engineered to please, Hipsters just may be the feel-good film of the festival.
Set in 1954, with Soviet communism at the peak of its strength, Hipsters is the story of a small group of stilyagi - an actual Russian youth movement of the time in which Russian teens copied American rockabilly styles and danced to jazz music. Which may not seem like all that big a deal to Western eyes - though there were certainly a good number of American parents at the time decrying the corruption of the youth as well - but in Russia? The year after Stalin's death? Well in Russia, any "kowtowing to Western ideals" was a crime punishable by up to ten years in prison and while being stilyagi wasn't quite far enough over the line to get you busted it certainly wasn't far off.
Our main character is Mels, a twenty year old young man - a university student actively involved in local communist party activities, including the rounding up of suspected dissidents. Mels' life changes for good one night when his comrades raid an underground dance party, tracking down the various stilyagi and, though not arresting them, doing everything in the power to humiliate them - cutting their hair, their clothes, etc. That is the night that Mels first lays eyes on Polina, a beautiful young nurse, and falls immediately in love. He must have her. But the only way to get close is to become stilyagi himself ...
Shot with verve and style, Todorovsky's film is at once a celebration of individuality and a somewhat critical look at his nation's recent past - the bright colors of the stilyagi's clothing at immediate odds with the approved fashion of the time. Hipsters is a story of the individual versus the mass and there is no doubt whatsoever which side of that equation Todorovsky falls on. The entire cast - from young to old - are fantastic, the story gives the audience what it wants with just enough wrinkles to keep things interesting, and - most importantly - the musical numbers are stellar.
Not quite as music-heavy as a classic American musical would be, Hipsters nonetheless boasts one dead solid soundtrack, the musical numbers ranging from the jazz, bebop and boogie sounds you'd expect to numbers that blend in Russian folk music and one absolutely brilliant number that draws on military rhythms when Mels - now known by the more-western sounding moniker of Mel - is stripped of his communist party membership. The choreography is inventive and wonderfully shot, the style blending east with west and alternating between slick polish and more rough-and-ready pieces.
With a strong story, stronger cast, great music and a finale shamelessly engineered to please, Hipsters just may be the feel-good film of the festival.
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